Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ISABELLE
T he way the light hit the room, the vibrant and opulent decor was meticulously arranged to impress and deceive.
Vincenzo and I played our roles perfectly. If you were watching from the outside, you wouldn’t be able to tell it was all a fa?ade.
Vincenzo said and did all the right things; I almost believed that he wasn’t an insufferable prick. Our chemistry, regardless of the situation, was undeniable. I had a good feeling that we were able to convince even the most skeptical onlookers.
I picked a red shimmering dress that hugged my curves perfectly. It matched the decor of the room and Vincenzo’s tie. I caught several glances of admiration and envy, but I wasn’t going to let it phase me. I had a job to do. Even though I felt like I was doing a good job, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the whole situation.
Sarah was also present and beaming with joy. Though I loved my friend, I had to avoid her that night because Mark’s eyes were lingering a little too long on me, and it was making me very uncomfortable.
However, all my actions to avoid Mark came to naught because he cornered me as soon as Vincenzo had to leave me alone to take an urgent phone call. I was on my way to the open bar when I felt Mark’s sweaty hand on my arm.
“Isabelle, can I talk to you?” His familiar voice immediately made me quicken my steps. His voice was slurred, so I could tell that he was tipsy.
“I’m busy,” I said, hoping that he wouldn’t catch up to me, but he did. He held my arm tightly, forcing me to stop. When I glanced up at him, I could see desperation in his eyes. The engagement must have upset him more than I had guessed. His gaze seemed lost and I could see right through it as he searched for words. I felt the need to run, then. Before it was too late and he finally found the words to speak.
“I…” He tried, but failed. He clears his voice, then tried again. “Isabelle, I still love you, and I can’t stop thinking about you, can you please give us a chance?” He says it all in one breath, and I feel trapped. I want to tell him no, to tell him we can’t work. I want to–
“What?!” It wasn’t me that spoke. It was Sarah. “How dare you?!” Sarah yelled with tears in her eyes.
I gasped, “I’m so sorry, Sarah.”
Sarah held up her hand to shut me up, “Izzy, I know you didn’t do anything, but you !” She turned to her husband who didn’t even look the least but remorseful.
“I’m done, our marriage is over. I don’t want to see you again. I want you out of this place.” she said, taking off her ring and throwing it at his chest. People were staring, and among them was Elia, who was now stepping close towards Sarah.
Mark stood in front of Sarah, too dangerously close.
“Make me,” he said, looking like an entirely different man. I was about to step forward when Elia and his men did. It all happened very fast, they dragged Mark outside.
I hugged Sarah, feeling terrible. She tried to smile and wiped away her tears.
“Do you want me to get you a drink?” I offered.
“I think I’m ok,” she said in a shaky voice. “I should have known he was a jerk when he broke up with you by text. He is truly a coward and a selfish one at that!” She added. We chatted for a bit and then suddenly Elia was by Sarah’s side, offering her a drink. I watched them for a while, how delicately Elia treated Sarah, wondering if I should stay with them, but she gave me a look letting me know she was ok. I think she needed some gentlemanly attention to somewhat restore her faith in decent men on this planet, so I decided to make the rounds of the party.
Where was Vincenzo? I looked around, searching for him throughout the venue hall. But he was nowhere to be seen. I sighed. Fine, I could do it on my own. But first, I needed some fresh air. I stepped out into the balcony, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the night’s events.
The fresh air was soothing, so I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I started to feel better, calmer, until Don Antonio appeared with a sly smile.
“ Bellissima ,” he said, startling me from where I stood, taking my hand and kissing my engagement ring. The way he did it was different; it was like he was mocking me.
“You look stunning tonight,” he said, still holding my hand, “your wrist,” he said, assessing my hand, then he looked at me, “everything about you is so… delicate.”
The way he said the word delicate sent an instant chill down my spine. I tried to pull my hand away, but Don Antonio’s grip tightened around it painfully.
He started stepping forward, so I had no choice but to step back.
Before I knew it, I was cornered against the balcony. His intimidating presence made me feel trapped and vulnerable. I wanted to call for help but I knew that no one would hear me. I was leaning precariously against the railing, if he took one more step forward, I would fall. The way he looked at me made me so scared, I felt like he was going to push me.
Suddenly Vincenzo appeared, forcefully removing Don Antonio from me. He moved so fast that I could barely see him until he was in front of me.
“Don’t touch my fiancée,” he warned, his voice a low and dangerous growl.
“I wouldn’t dare.” Don Antonio retreated, a sinister smile on his lips and he waved, winking at me. “Enjoy the rest of your evening on this most wonderful celebration, his tone too mocking to be sincere.
Vincenzo immediately turned to me, his concern evident in his eyes.
“Are you alright?” He asked, hovering over me.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up. I felt like he was ready to push me down the balcony.”
“What else did he do?” Vincenzo asked in a low tone.
I stretched my wrist so I could show him the bruises that were already forming on my wrist from how hard he held them.
“He held me so tight I thought he would never let go.”
Vincenzo was quiet for a while, seething. Then, he took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“We’re leaving,” he said, dragging me.
“Wait, what about the party?” I asked, looking at the people that we were passing by. I then told him briefly about what had happened with Mark, Sarah and Elia.
“I will make sure Elia takes care of Sarah and puts her up in another hotel for the night, if that is what she wants. But we have to go. Your safety comes first,” he said. My heart melted at those words.
We were back at Vincenzo’s estate now and the tension from the evening had begun to unravel. Vincenzo undressed me with a tenderness that I could barely make sense of, and guided me to a warm bath to soothe my frayed nerves. I felt taken care of as he tended to me, scrubbing my body softly with the loofah.
“I’ll kill him,” he whispered as his gaze settled on my bruised arm, “as soon as I win the elections, he’s dead.” It didn’t sound like a threat, it sounded like a promise.
It was then that I snapped back into reality. The election. This was all a fa?ade, why did I think he actually cared about me? I suddenly felt overwhelmed by everything. The fantasy of our engagement suddenly crumbled and was replaced by the stark truth of our arrangement. I was overwhelmed by fear, and disappointment. I didn’t know when tears started to fall from my eyes, but I was crying.
Vincenzo looked up at me, confused and worried at the same time.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Please,” I whispered, “just stop pretending. Stop pretending you care about me like this.”
His grip tightened slightly, his brow furrowing. “What are you talking about? I do care about you.”
I shook my head, feeling the weight of the truth pressing down on my chest. “This—us—it’s not real, Vincenzo. You’re using me for your campaign. And I’m using you for my promotion. Everything we’ve done, every touch, every kiss… it’s not real.”
His jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought he might deny it. But then he sighed, looking away, his gaze falling to the ground. “You’re right.”
His words cut deeper than I expected, even though I had known the truth the whole time.
I could feel my heart breaking a little more with each second that passed.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered, stepping back, my hands falling away from his neck. “I can’t pretend that this is okay, that I’m okay with this.”
Vincenzo reached for me, his expression lost. “Wait—please. Don’t go. I have to protect you. I?—”
“Protect me?” I interrupted, my voice breaking. “From who? From yourself? From the lies? Or from Don Antonio? This is a cage, and I’m going to die in it.”
For the first time, I saw something break in his eyes—something raw and vulnerable. “I never wanted to hurt you,” he whispered.
“But you did,” I replied, wiping away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling.
“Can I help you feel better?” he tried.
All I could think about was touching him, holding him, kissing him, so I did. I leaned forward and kissed him, placing my arms around his neck so that he wouldn’t pull away.
As he held me, I was so close to him I had to move my own eyes from side to side to look into his. They were as majestic as a dark sky on the verge of a perfect storm.
I could feel his body against mine, warm and hard and my sheer physical arousal was something I only barely control. I touched his face very gently, letting my fingertips trace spider webs over his skin, I could feel my heartbeat like a hammer in my chest as he pushed my hair away from my face and guided me. I closed my eyes and all that I could feel in the world were his lips on mine, sweet and soft, becoming harder and more urgent as the breaks were gradually released.
This is what I wanted; something sensual and personal.
He bit my lips, kissed my mouth, bit my neck gently, then harder and I curled my hands around his head and pulled him into me. A small sound escaped my lips as he took control of my pleasure.
He leaned forward slightly and I tipped backwards, bringing him with me. He pulled his shirt off and I could feel the weight of his body moving against me as he undressed. I kept my eyes open to feast on his smooth skin.
He reached down and pulled my dress up over my head. I wanted to enjoy the curve of his neck and the definition of his shoulders, his chest, his hips. I wanted to see his lips, the dimple in his chin and the look in his eyes, the fan of his eyelashes.
But my eyes closed and I came alive to the gentle resolution of his hands, the sound of our breathing and the unmistakable scent of my response.
I could feel myself almost shaking with pleasure as he treated me to his body. That smooth as silk, soft, warm, hardness of caressed naked skin. I wound my legs around his back again and was rewarded with a growl of satisfaction and an instant demonstration of why my body had ached for this encounter.
He leaned up and with the ease and strength of long experience, he pulled my hips towards him, spreading my legs apart. A shudder went through me as I felt his strong, dexterous fingers at the top of my thighs.
I reached up for him as he bent his head towards mine again and, as he kissed me, his tongue invading my mouth, I felt his fingers pushing between my legs, sliding velvety into the wet, hot center of me, fingering me. His mouth held me and I could only make an inarticulate sound. Hanging on to him, I pushed my hips against his hand’s movement.
He kissed my neck and whispered, "Isabelle, be still."
I could feel my breathing accelerate as I tried to control myself. Just the command had made achieving this harder and I could feel my arousal pulse through me like a blush across skin. With careful deliberation he squeezed one breast then another, drawing up one nipple, then the other into a hard, exquisite erection.
I had given up trying to hold back the noises I was making, so I simply moaned as he began to suckle at my left breast, teasing me with his tongue and his teeth. He pushed one finger, then another into my pussy, his thumb sliding easily through my swollen lips and resting firmly on my clit. He raised his head and pushed hard with his fingers. I tried to do as I was told and keep still but, as he pushed again, I knew it was going to be almost impossible.
"Oh God, please…" It sounded so pathetic, but I didn't care at that moment.
"It’s alright, bellissima . Tell me if you're going to cum."
He pushed my legs further apart and with the slow concentration of the truly dedicated, with the fingers of both hands, he delicately spread the lips of my pussy like the petals of a flower. The smell of sex seemed to fill the whole room. He bowed his head and my entire existence hung on to that touch while he took his pleasure from that burning part of me, his tongue lapping and teasing at my cunt as he held me down.
He growled again. A low, slow, masculine purr of satisfaction and I felt all control slip from me completely. I wanted him to enjoy it just like I was, for as long as he wanted, but I could feel my climax building and it became almost too much as he pushed his fingers inside me again.
"I'm going to- I think I'm…" I somehow managed to say although all my breath seemed to have left me.
He raised his head and I could feel relief and disappointment surge through me in equal measure. He helped me up and I clung to him as we knelt on the floor together. I could taste myself in his kisses, sweet and sour and salty and he kissed me lavishly to make sure I did.
“You need discipline." I know what he had in mind.
He held on to my hair with one hand, the other hand again between my legs. I could feel the eye watering pull of the one and the other making me shake as he fucked me hard with his fingers. Each invasion of my body taking me nearer and nearer the brink, his soft voice praising me, "That's my girl. Good girl..."
He released a final burst that made me squeal and then he helped me up, a living doll, a perfect thing of his making, warm, caressed, and, sated. I was in a daze but I could see the rise and fall of his chest, the sheen of perspiration on his torso, the slight tremor in his arms as he held me which told me of the effort he has put into this. And his cock, hard and erect told me what he needed then as much as I did.
I couldn’t speak but I didn’t need to. He carried me to the bed and laid me down and then, despite my exhaustion and all my surrender, the moment was mine to control. I knew what I wanted. I needed him to fuck me.
Feeling him on top of me, the simple pleasure of it, breathlessly kissing my mouth, my face, my eyes. I just wanted him inside me now, a visceral ache in my body. There was a relief as he drove into me, slowly, firmly and so deeply, I cried out. I hear him moan under his breath, "Oh, God."
Each stroke, harder, pushed me beyond a place I never thought I could reach. I hooked my legs higher around his back, as he cradled my head, his cheek softly against mine, I could hear him groan and I pushed my hands into the small of his back, drawing him into me, holding him tighter against me. I wanted to make this last longer but I had no hope at all, I could no longer control my orgasm. I felt my back arch into him deliciously and wave after beautiful wave shuddered through me. I heard him growl and I could feel the wonderful explosion that possessed both of us.
We lay together. He held me. I held him. He stayed inside me and I could smell the warm, rich scents of our skin and mingled sex. While we tried to catch our breaths, he kissed me softly,
The night had become quiescent to this particular moment and I wanted to make it last before taking the weight of the world back on our shoulders.
Just for a little longer.